Newsletters
Up one levelNewsletter 1: Unemployment and Poverty - An Overview
The Institute presents an overview of the unemployment and poverty situation sourced from the latest South Africa Survey. This article focuses on the long term trends observed in the spheres of unemployment and poverty.
Newsletter 2: Vuna Awards reward exemplary performance
This week’s newsletter focuses on the Vuna awards for excellence in service delivery which took place during December 2008. These awards were introduced in 2003 by the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) in partnership with the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), National Productivity Institute (NPI) and South African Local Government Association (Salga).
Newsletter 3 - Matric pass rate less than 50% - 9 January 2009
The 62.5% 2008 matric pass rate is not an accurate view of the success of the 2008 matric class. Only 36%, just over a third, of all pupils who were in Grade 11 in 2007 completed their matric in 2008.
Newsletter 4 - The state of South Africa’s health - 16 January 2009
HIV/AIDS is undoubtedly South Africa’s biggest health concern. According to research collated by the South African Institute of Race Relations, some 5.6 million people in South Africa were HIV infected in 2008. Over 11% of the population is living with HIV/AIDS.
Newsletter 5 - The economic downturn and unemployment - 23 January 2009
The global economic downturn has placed immense pressure on South Africa’s development goals of halving poverty and unemployment by 2014. Municipalities are often criticised by the members of the public about the poor living conditions in which the majority of the South African population live. Yet, local government has significantly less jurisdiction than the provincial and national governments to achieve the goals of reducing poverty and unemployment.
Newsletter 6 – Poverty more than just a dollar a day - 30 January 2009
The impact has most recently been seen in the surge in cholera cases in South Africa has exposed the vulnerability of people who have no access to clean water. In January 2008, 20.8% of households did not have access to free basic water. Free basic water comprises 6 000 litres per household per month. Also in 2008, over a million South African households were using the bucket system and were without sanitation facilities.
Newsletter 7 - A call for political tolerance – 6 February 2009
With political campaigns occurring throughout the country in preparation for the national and provincial elections due to take place during 2009, the principles of political tolerance have to be adhered to by all members of society.
Newsletter 7 - A call for political tolerance – 6 February 2009
With political campaigns occurring throughout the country in preparation for the national and provincial elections due to take place during 2009, the principles of political tolerance have to be adhered to by all members of society.
Newsletter 8 - Local government’s budget more than enough – 13 February 2009
Although many municipalities cite insufficient funds as the reason for the inadequacies in service delivery, most of them operated budget surpluses during the 2007/08 financial year. Some 42 of the 52 metropolitan and district municipalities had operating surpluses.
Newsletter 9 – What does matric really mean? – 20 February 2009
This week's newsletter explores the impact that education may have on municipal districts, considering their limited jurisdiction in this regard.
Newsletter 10: A story of three municipalities - 27th February 2009
Just over 47% of Africans resident in Johannesburg are employed as opposed to 70% of whites. Just over 26% of Africans are unemployed – a higher figure than in the two rural municipalities - as opposed to 4% of whites.
Newsletter 11 - Agriculture reforms itself even as government plans its reform - 6 March 2009
The recently released Census of Commercial Agriculture suggests that the approach of simply using agricultural businesses to absorb the rural poor and the unemployed in order to meet developmnet targets will never work.
Newsletter 12 – The dilemma of unemployment in the urban municipality – 13 March 2009
People who are jobless are not necessarily unemployed according to this definition. People may also be regarded as not economically active – those who are neither employed nor unemployed, and are regarded as not being part of the labour market. These “not economically active” people need to be taken into account when analysing the socio-economic situation in South Africa.
Newsletter 13 - Mortality in the cities - 20 March 2009
The City of Tshwane had the lowest non-natural mortality rate overall, with 81.1 deaths per 100 000 people. Cape Town had the highest non-natural mortality rate with 144.9 non-natural deaths per 100 000 people, with violence accounting for 47% of non-natural deaths.
Newsletter 14 - Taxi Rapid Transit System – 27 March 2009
Taxis transported 4 million people, which equated to 65% of public transport users in South Africa. In Johannesburg alone, there were 12 500 taxis transporting over a million people, or 72% of the city’s public transport users, according to the City of Johannesburg.
Newsletter 15 – Which municipality has the highest crime rate? – 3 April 2009
The national combined total of murder and attempted murder of 37 282 for the period April 2007 to March 2008 was 5% lower than the previous period, which had 39 344 cases between April 2006 and March 2007. Between 2001/02 and 2007/08, murder and attempted murder cases decreased from 52 698 to 37 282, a reduction of 29%.
Newsletter 16 – The bucket system in 2009 – 9 April 2009
The Government has, since 1994, placed the eradication of poverty at the top of its priority list. The provision of free and subsidised housing, free basic education, and social grants, are examples of projects targeted specifically at alleviating the burden of the poor. The provision of adequate sanitation facilities has come a long way. However, there are still millions of South Africans with inadequate facilities.
Newsletter 17 – Electricity is being provided, but is it being used? – 17 April 2009
The proportion of households without any earned income in the metro is 174 689 out of 776 470 households, or 23%. Even though most of these households have access to electricity, poor households tend not to use it.
Newsletter 18 – Defining poverty – 24 April 2009
The number of people living in poverty increased from 17 060 571 or 40.6% of the population in 1996, to 20 551 295 or 42.9% in 2007. This is an increase of 20.5% in the number of people living in relative poverty from 1996 to 1997.
Newsletter 19 – Housing concerns– 30 April 2009
A municipality has a responsibility to structure and manage its administration, budgeting, and planning processes to give priority to the basic needs of the community, and to promote their social and economic development.
Newsletter 20 – HIV/AIDS and poverty – 8 May 2009
One of the issues raised at the MUPCI workshop in Tshwane was the relationship between HIV/AIDS and poverty. While HIV/AIDS does not afflict poor people alone, the effect of this pandemic on poor households is far more severe than in wealthier ones. This newsletter looks at how poor households in South Africa are affected by HIV and AIDS.
Newsletter 21 – The poor in Cape Town -15 May 2009
This newsletter looks at the poor communities in the City of Cape Town. While Cape Town is a thriving world-class city on one hand, there are poor communities who have limited access, if any, to basic services.
Newsletter 22 – Child poverty – 22 May 2009
Poverty is more severe among children, where the poverty rate was estimated at 65.5%, than among adults, where the poverty rate was significantly lower at 45.2%.
Newsletter 23 – Migration and poverty in KwaZulu-Natal – 29 May 2009
While the pursuit of improved standards of living is the main reason for migrating, migrant households do not always achieve the desired result. With uncertain employment opportunities for poor migrant workers with lower levels of education; the chances of a significantly improving quality of life for migrant families are slim.
Newsletter 24 – A case study: N2 Gateway Housing Project – 5 June 2009
The failures of the N2 Gateway Project should serve as a warning to local government. It should ensure that before entering into a joint project with other tiers of government that there has to be a proper plan (including proper financial plans) and roles have to be clearly defined.
Newsletter 25 – How clean is our water? – 12 June 2009
The municipality with the cleanest drinking water was Cape Town with a score of 100%. The municipality with the worst drinking water was the Lephalale Local Municipality in Limpopo at 32.7%.
Newsletter 26 – Pupils to teachers – 19 June 2009
South Africa’s pupil-to-teacher ratio is much higher than in several other developing countries, and more than double the ratios in some developed countries. The pupil-to-teacher ratio in the country was 32 to 1 in 2007. For example, Indonesia, a developing country with a large population of more than 237 million, had a ratio of 20 to 1.
Newsletter 27 – Inequalities in financing municipalities – 26 June 2009
There is a growing dependence on transfers from national government by local, district, and metropolitan municipalities. The total transfers to municipalities increased by almost 300% from R6.3 billion in 2003/04 to R18.1 billion in 2006/07. The total transfers are estimated to increase to R30.2 billion in 2009/10.
Newsletter 28 – Who owes municipalities? – 3 July 2009
The inability of municipalities to manage their finances, and implement good credit control policies, is a hurdle to local municipalities in addressing service delivery backlogs, and combating poverty in their areas.
Newsletter 29 – Why do most municipalities fail to deliver? – 10 July 2009
Not all municipalities spend the money available to them for service delivery. Until they do, it will remain difficult to assess the extent to which failures and backlogs are a result of excess demand and insufficient capacity.
Newsletter 30 – Working for local government – 17 July 2009
The general view is that smaller municipalities have more difficulty in filling positions, which is why they do not have the same capacity as larger municipalities to deliver services - this is not always the case.
Newsletter 31 - How South Africa’s protest movement may develop – 24 July 2009
Protest action in South Africa is superficially explained as a function of poor levels of service delivery. It is likely that the true explanation is more complex.
Newsletter 32 – The striking irony – 31 July 2009
The issue of service delivery protests cannot be solely explained by delivery failures. Service delivery in the two areas which have been worst hit by the protest actions in recent weeks is analysed in this week’s newsletter.
Newsletter 33 - Can a united opposition pose a serious threat to the ANC? – 7 August 2009
There have been reports recently that opposition parties are planning to form a united front against the African National Congress (ANC), with an eye on the 2011 municipal elections. It is not clear whether there will be a formal union between the various parties, or whether a less formal electoral pact will be put in place.
Newsletter 34 –How are Soweto businesses doing? – 17 August 2009
This week’s newsletter focuses on the effect of the emergence of shopping malls on the informal sector in townships, specifically in Soweto. The Bureau of Market Research (BMR) report, Small business success and failure in Soweto: A longitudinal analysis, is used as a reference. The study was conducted in Soweto by Professor André Ligthelm of the BMR.
Newsletter 35 – Why local government can be affected by health policies – 21 August 2009
‘A municipality must structure and manage its administration, and budgeting and planning processes to give priority to the basic needs of the community, and to promote the social and economic development of the community’, according to the Constitution.
Newsletter 36 – The Eastern Cape and the Western Cape: Neighbours on opposite ends of a spectrum – 28 August 2009
This week’s newsletter explores the key health issues in different municipalities using the 2009 District Health Barometer published by the Health Systems Trust. This follows up on newsletter 35, which focused on the deprivation index. In order to establish these differences, municipalities from the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape, provinces which share a border but have significantly different socio-economic conditions, are analysed.
Newsletter 37 – Providing free basic services – 4 September 2009
This week’s newsletter focuses on data regarding free basic services as per the Non-Financial Census of Municipalities for the year ended 30 June 2009, which was published by Statistics South Africa on 24th August 2009.
Newsletter 38 – Gender inequalities most severe in metros– 11 September 2009
The findings of the municipal outreach project on poverty challenges in South Africa show not only the achievements and failures of local government in combating poverty, but also the disparities between men and women in the country’s municipal districts.
Newsletter 39 – Employed, unemployed, or not economically active? – 18 September 2009
Last week’s newsletter focused on gender inequalities across municipalities with regard to the annual incomes of men and women, and the type of industries prevalent in each municipality. The newsletter showed that even though it is commonly assumed that rural women experience more inequality compared to their urban counterparts, gender inequality was prevalent in both urban and rural areas.
Newsletter 40 – No education, no work – 25 September 2009
The previous two newsletters focused on gender inequalities at local government. This week’s newsletter looks at the levels of education of women and men which, in general, informs the type of jobs people should have and the income they should earn. This is the third newsletter in the series looking at gender inequalities. As with the previous two newsletters, the City of Cape Town and the Capricorn District Municipality are used as examples.
Newsletter 41 – Standerton blaze - 2 October 2009
The Sakhile township near Standerton in the Lekwa Local Municipality in Mpumalanga is the latest one to have residents protest against their local government. They barricaded roads with rocks, burnt tyres, and even set the Sakhile library and community hall alight on Monday 28th September 2009. During the preceding weekend, residents petrol bombed a municipal official’s house and also burnt municipal offices. Data (for 2007) obtained by the Municipal Outreach Project shows considerable poverty challenges in the municipality.
Newsletter 42 - Jobs or polar bears? – 9 October 2009
Although the environment is an important issue, and will probably become increasingly so for future generations, environmental needs have to be juxtaposed against the developmental needs of South Africa and the developing world.
Newsletter 43 – The state of public schools – 16 October 2009
Education was voted as one the leading challenges in South Africa’s municipalities by councillors, officials, and development organisations from eight of the country’s largest municipalities that attended the workshops hosted by the Institute for municipalities this year.
Newsletter 44 – Are people in big cities getting poorer? – 23 October 2009
Many poor people are leaving the rural areas in former homelands in search of better opportunities in urban South Africa. What has been the impact of this on unemployment and poverty levels at the major urban areas?
Newsletter 45 – Gordhan’s gamble - 30th October 2009
While the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement has been well received by the financial and business press it does harbour a risk of South Africa confronting a debt-trap scenario at some point in the next decade. Considering the risks and the difficulty of predicting the country’s future GDP growth trajectory, history might find that the government erred in its fiscal response to the economic downturn.
Newsletter 46 – The new ‘whites’ – 6 November 2009
Whereas prosperous white South Africans are often denigrated by the Government and the African National Congress (ANC), the new black elite are often portrayed as an example of progress in our society. That has been a peculiar distinction for the Government and the ANC to maintain. There is now some evidence to suggest that attitudes in the ruling alliance may be shifting.
Newsletter47 - Implementing People's War - 13th November 2009
When former state president FW de Klerk in February 1990 unbanned the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies, he believed he was laying the foundation for a process of ‘good faith’ negotiations in which all parties would be committed to peace, mutual compromise for the common good, and respect for agreements reached. But, the ANC never had any intention of regarding negotiations in the same way. Instead it saw constitutional talks as nothing more than an additional ‘terrain of struggle’: an adjunct to the people’s war it had been implementing since the Sebokeng unrest in September 1984. The ANC’s strategy was a variant on the Trojan Horse one, for it used its professed commitment to peace to secure the legal return of its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, thus bypassing the difficulties it had always faced in infiltrating its insurgents illegally. It then refused to disarm or demobilise Umkhonto, instead using its combatants to step up the people’s war in all its aspects. The ANC’s persistence with its people’s war in the early 1990s – at a time when De Klerk had already thrown open the door to a non-racial South Africa and repealed all major apartheid laws – cost a further 15 000 lives, three times the number killed in the first five years of the people’s war. Almost all those killed were neither policemen, soldiers, nor insurgents, but rather ordinary civilians, most of them black. In this address, delivered in Johannesburg on 10th November 2009, Anthea Jeffery summarises some of the key points from her book People’s War: New Light on the Struggle for South Africa, recently published by Jonathan Ball.
Newsletter 48 - Genocide is a charge too far - 20th November 2009
The minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has blamed Thabo Mbeki and his administration for the Aids pandemic in South Africa. Dr Motsoaledi referred to a report that South Africa had 0.7% of the world’s population but 17% of people infected with HIV and Aids. The Young Communist League has gone even further and called for Thabo Mbeki and his health minister to be charged with genocide. Data the Institute has published in its annual South Africa Survey this month shows the extent of the death and suffering inflicted on black South Africans by the Mbeki administration’s HIV and Aids policies.
Newsletter 49 – Half of the 500 000 job opportunities already covered – 27 November 2009
Some challenges facing local government were discussed and debated at a local government indaba held in Boksburg in October 2009. The Indaba was hosted by the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Sicelo Shiceka. One of the issues discussed was that of personnel in municipalities. The municipal outreach officer attended the Indaba on behalf of the Institute.
Newsletter 50 – The supplement is ready! – 4 December 2009
A supplement to the South Africa Survey entitled ‘Local Government and the Poverty Challenge’ has been completed. The Municipal Outreach Project was launched in January 2009, and much has been accomplished thus far. During this first year of the project, the objective was to identify the key poverty challenges in the eight municipalities targeted. This was done in two parts. First, extensive research into poverty at local government level was collated by the Institute’s Research Department. Second, the project team visited each of the eight municipalities to present the research findings as well as to get feedback based on the ‘grass-roots’ experiences of councillors, officials, and development organisations working within the municipalities. The supplement is a comprehensive publication of the research findings collated by the Institute as well as the ‘grass-roots’ experiences of councillors and officials.
Newsletter 50 – The supplement is ready! – 4 December 2009
A supplement to the South Africa Survey entitled ‘Local Government and the Poverty Challenge’ has been completed. The Municipal Outreach Project was launched in January 2009, and much has been accomplished thus far. During this first year of the project, the objective was to identify the key poverty challenges in the eight municipalities targeted. This was done in two parts. First, extensive research into poverty at local government level was collated by the Institute’s Research Department. Second, the project team visited each of the eight municipalities to present the research findings as well as to get feedback based on the ‘grass-roots’ experiences of councillors, officials, and development organisations working within the municipalities. The supplement is a comprehensive publication of the research findings collated by the Institute as well as the ‘grass-roots’ experiences of councillors and officials.
Newsletter 50 – The supplement is ready! – 4 December 2009
A supplement to the South Africa Survey entitled ‘Local Government and the Poverty Challenge’ has been completed. The Municipal Outreach Project was launched in January 2009, and much has been accomplished thus far. During this first year of the project, the objective was to identify the key poverty challenges in the eight municipalities targeted. This was done in two parts. First, extensive research into poverty at local government level was collated by the Institute’s Research Department. Second, the project team visited each of the eight municipalities to present the research findings as well as to get feedback based on the ‘grass-roots’ experiences of councillors, officials, and development organisations working within the municipalities. The supplement is a comprehensive publication of the research findings collated by the Institute as well as the ‘grass-roots’ experiences of councillors and officials.
Newsletter 51 – Local Government and the Poverty Challenge: A case study of Capricorn –
The supplement to the South Africa Survey entitled Local Government and the Poverty Challenge to be posted next week contains much-needed information on local government ranging from demographics to the economies of the 52 district and metropolitan municipalities, and in some cases even on all 283 municipalities in South Africa. This week’s newsletter focuses on the relationship between poverty and lack of access to basic services, as well as prospects for people to escape the poverty trap. A case study of the Capricorn District Municipality in Limpopo is presented.
Newsletter 51 – Local Government and the Poverty Challenge – 11 December 2009
Newsletter 51 – Local Government and the Poverty Challenge: A case study of Capricorn – 11 December 2009 The supplement to the South Africa Survey entitled Local Government and the Poverty Challenge to be posted next week contains much-needed information on local government ranging from demographics to the economies of the 52 district and metropolitan municipalities, and in some cases even on all 283 municipalities in South Africa. This week’s newsletter focuses on the relationship between poverty and lack of access to basic services, as well as prospects for people to escape the poverty trap. A case study of the Capricorn District Municipality in Limpopo is presented.
Newsletter 51 – A case study of Capricorn – 11 December 2009
The supplement to the South Africa Survey entitled Local Government and the Poverty Challenge to be posted next week contains much-needed information on local government ranging from demographics to the economies of the 52 district and metropolitan municipalities, and in some cases even on all 283 municipalities in South Africa. This week’s newsletter focuses on the relationship between poverty and lack of access to basic services, as well as prospects for people to escape the poverty trap. A case study of the Capricorn District Municipality in Limpopo is presented.
Newsletter 52 – Corruption, nepotism, and maladministration – 18 December 2009
Three local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal have been placed under administration following allegations of corruption, nepotism, and maladministration. In this newsletter, these allegations as well as the levels of service delivery backlogs in the three municipalities are analysed.
Newsletter 53 – Best practice case study: Ekurhuleni – 8 January 2010
In 2009, the first year of the municipal outreach project, the Institute’s staff, municipal councillors, officials, and NGOs identified key challenges facing municipalities. The findings were detailed in the supplement to the 2008/2009 South Africa Survey entitled Local Government and the Poverty Challenge. This year, the second year of the three-year project, the objective is to identify best practice interventions to combat the challenges identified in year one.
Newsletter 53 – Best practice case study: Ekurhuleni – 8 January 2010
In 2009, the first year of the municipal outreach project, the Institute’s staff, municipal councillors, officials, and NGOs identified key challenges facing municipalities. The findings were detailed in the supplement to the 2008/2009 South Africa Survey entitled Local Government and the Poverty Challenge. This year, the second year of the three-year project, the objective is to identify best practice interventions to combat the challenges identified in year one.
Newsletter 54 – Local economic development focused on poverty alleviation –
This week’s newsletter focuses on some of the results of a study entitled Pro-Poor Local Economic Development in South Africa which was commissioned by the World Bank and implemented by Rhodes University, Khanya-aicdd, and the University of the Witwatersrand. The study focused on surveys and workshops with 20 of South Africa’s urban municipalities.
Newsletter 54 - Local economic development focused on poverty alleviation - 15 January 2010
This week’s newsletter focuses on some of the results of a study entitled Pro-Poor Local Economic Development in South Africa which was commissioned by the World Bank and implemented by Rhodes University, Khanya-aicdd, and the University of the Witwatersrand. The study focused on surveys and workshops with 20 of South Africa’s urban municipalities.
Newsletter 55 – Strategic plan not so strategic – 22 January 2010
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs published a strategic plan for municipalities for 2009 to 2014. According to the department, their ‘desire is to ensure that governance systems are streamlined and utilised as a vehicle to change people’s lives.’ This newsletter raises four issues with regard to this plan.
Newsletter 56 – 14 months later – 29 January 2010
Fourteen months into the Municipal Outreach Project the project has proven itself to be one of the most successful outreach and research projects operated by the Institute.
Newsletter 57 – A Fast Facts dedicated to municipalities – 5 February 2010
The February issue of Fast Facts for Local Government focuses almost entirelyon municipalities. It contains three articles and a number of graphs and charts, and reviews 80 indicators for each of the 52 district and metropolitan municipalities in the country. It covers subjects from service delivery protests to health and crime.
Newsletter 58 - New local government report reveals challenges – 12 February 2010
The Fast Facts for Local Government published by the Institute this week is a comprehensive review of local government. It analyses 80 indicators which include indicators on demographics, education, employment, housing, access to basic services, transport, social security, health, and crime. The report provides a detailed insight into local government performance. It also allows for detailed comparisons between municipalities. The Institute has released the report to all members of Parliament, all members of provincial legislatures, and councillors in South Africa’s eight largest urban municipalities.
Newsletter 59 – The councillor’s job beyond the council chamber – 19 February 2010
This week’s newsletter is based on an article by Professor André de Villiers. He is an associate of the Africa Leadership Development Institute. He emphasises the role of councillors based on the principles of responsibility and accountability.
Newsletter 60 - From the richest to the poorest, and those in between – 26 February 2010
South Africa’s municipalities continuously come under fire from the media and the communities they serve, largely because of their failure to provide services efficiently. However, the country has 283 diverse municipalities, from those which serve largely affluent communities to those serving the poorest. This means that a uniform approach to municipalities will not succeed in helping all of them function effectively. An analysis of the different environments in which they function is essential for policy-makers in all three tiers of government to devise policies for municipalities in a manner appropriate to the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Newsletter 61 – Food for thought – 5 March 2010
Poverty remains a serious problem which goes with hunger. Community projects which translate into food production and income generation are one way in which councillors can empower poor people to provide for themselves.
Newsletter 62 – More money, less spending – 12 March 2010
The war of words between ratepayers’ associations and the minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs has once again placed local government inadequacies at the fore. The ratepayers’ associations claim municipalities do not use the money paid to them by ratepayers to provide essential services. Data released by the National Treasury shows that most municipalities do not spend money which they have in their operating budgets.
Newsletter 63 – Sixteen months later – 19 March 2010
Sixteen months into the Municipal Outreach Project the project has proven itself to be one of the most successful outreach and research projects operated by the Institute.
Newsletter 64 – The highs and lows of municipal finances – 26 March 2010
One of the excuses given to communities protesting against poor service delivery is lack of money. Communities should question this response as this holds very little truth for most municipalities. A report released by the national treasury reveals that more than R15 billion was not spent in the 2008/09 financial year.
Newsletter 65 – Batho pele – 2 April 2010
Batho Pele which means ‘people first’ is a campaign that was adopted as a white paper in 1999 to improve service delivery, transform the work ethic of public servants, and place citizens at the centre of planning and operations. This campaign seems still to be fiction, according to the Service Delivery Review volume 7 number 2 of 2009 published by the Department of Public Service and Administration.
Newsletter 66 – Road accidents: Provinces show mixed record – 9 April 2010
With the Easter weekend just behind us, this week’s newsletter reviews some of the latest road accident statistics published by the Institute in the 2008/09 South Africa Survey.
Newsletter 67 – Employment equity in black and white– 16 April 2010
Data received from Commission for Employment Equity in 2009 paints a picture of inequality both in terms of gender and in terms of race.
Newsletter 68 – The economics of the economic hub – 23 April 2010
Gauteng, the province in which three of South Africa’s six metropolitans are situated, is the country’s largest source of skills and gross domestic product (GDP). This newsletter provides an overview of the province’s economic activity and performance as published by the Gauteng Treasury.
Newsletter 69 - The South African family in crisis - 1 May 2010
In July 2009 the Institute published a study on the state of the South African family through its monthly publication, Fast Facts. The study saw significant media coverage and generated much debate in South Africa. The study however left the Institute with more questions than answers.
Newsletter 70: National service is no panacea - 7 May 2010
The Minster of Defence, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, has proposed a campaign of national service to deal with the problem posed by high numbers of badly educated and unemployed young people. However, an obvious flaw in her plan can be found in its numbers.
Newsletter 71 - Positive Expansions to South Africa’s ART Programme-14 May 2010
In April 2010, two major national health programmes were launched: the South African Antiretroviral Guidelines 2010, and the HIVCounselling and Testing (HCT) campaign. These programmes are seen as a gateway into HIV prevention, treatment, and care.
Newsletter 72- Disagreement with the Performance Agreement -21 May 2010
On 29 April 2010, cabinet ministers signed performance agreements with president Jacob Zuma. These performance agreements have a direct bearing on municipalities, particularly the agreement signed by the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Mr Sicelo Shiceka.
Newsletter 73- Unqualified initiatives and qualified audit reports- 28 May 2010
Last week’s newsletter was based on the performance agreement signed by the minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, Mr Sicelo Shiceka. In the agreement, the minister committed himself to achieving a number of targets by 2014. If met, these targets are set to improve service delivery. This week’s newsletter will focus on one of these targets, which is that all municipalities in the country are to achieve clean audits by 2014.
Newsletter 74- Dissatisfaction with service delivery recipe for unrest - 4 June 2010
A survey conducted earlier this year shows that more than half of residents are unhappy with the service delivery they receive from their local municipality. The residents also report that they wait too long for basic services.
Newsletter 75-Municipalities score an own goal in the 2010 Soccer World Cup- 11 June 2010
With just a few hours to go before the 2010 Soccer World Cup kick-off, there is mounting excitement. However, if the financial returns of this tournament are anything to go by, then there is not much to be excited about, particularly for the host cities and their municipalities.
Newsletter 76-Education and the poverty challenge- 18 June 2010
Government policies such as no-fee schools have provided households with some relief in the cost of obtaining an education. However, research shows that household poverty still plays a role in inhibiting access to education.
Newsletter 77- Alleviating poverty in your municipality- 25 June 2010
In 2009, the Municipal Outreach project held Major Urban Poverty Challenges Identification (MUPCI) workshops in the eight municipalities covered by the project. The findings from these workshops were published in the Supplement to the South Africa Survey 2008/09. Following this successful venture, between July and September 2010 the project team will embark on another set of workshops: the joint Urban Poverty Intervention (UPI) and Anti Poverty Intervention Implementation (APII) workshops.
Newsletter 78- Qualified audit reports prevail in municipalities-2 July 2010
Of the total of 283 municipalities in South Africa, 247 submitted audit reports for the 2008/09 financial year. Out of this total, only four municipalities received clean audits. Altogether 36 municipalities did not submit reports. This was revealed by the Consolidated General Report: Local Government Audit Outcomes 2008/09.
Newsletter 78- Qualified audit reports prevail in municipalities-2 July 2010
Of the total of 283 municipalities in South Africa, 247 submitted audit reports for the 2008/09 financial year. Out of this total, only four municipalities received clean audits. Altogether 36 municipalities did not submit reports. This was revealed by the Consolidated General Report: Local Government Audit Outcomes 2008/09.
Newsletter 79-South Africa’s welfare state-9 July 2010
This newsletter gives a municipal review of the four social grants with the highest number of beneficiaries in 2007: the child support grant, old-age grant, disability grant, and foster care grant.
Newsletter 80- Why some schools work - 16th July 2010
The Minister of Basic Education, Mrs. Angie Motshekga, has received much praise after announcing reforms to the Outcomes Based Education curriculum. However, the impact of the reforms will now be dependent mainly on the ability of the department to effectively manage and resource underperforming schools.
Newsletter 81- Municipal living conditions in brief- 23 July 2010
In 2007, there were 12 500 611 households in South Africa. Some 8 819 521 (71%) of them lived in formal housing and 1 804 432 (14%) in informal housing. There were 1 459 380 (12%) households living in traditional housing and 417 291 (3%) in other types of housing. On average, 96% of households in municipalities had access to piped water while 85% had access to electricity.
